The Visit
by Metisse
Summary: Alex meets Bobby's mother. BA Angsty, shippy stuff.


**Disclaimer: I guess this is the usual I don't own these characters , Dick Wolf owns everything section. I don't want to make money off of them, I just want to keep myself from going crazy over the summer with no Goren and Eames. So I just want to borrow them for this story. **

_A/N: I am not a fiction writer. I am a reporter for a small town newspaper so I do write, just not fiction. Any suggestions as to how I may improve my fiction writing is appreciated. I've been inspired to at least try some writing what with all the marvelous writers I've found here at this site. I'm not a shipper in the real world but for some reason, the stories that intrigue me the most are the fanfics that deal with Bobby and Alex as a couple. So here goes. Constructive criticism is welcome. Trust me, writing for a small town newspaper I have a very thick skin. ;-)_

The Visit

Looking at herself in the mirror one last time, Alex sighed. Okay, so she was going to meet Bobby's mother. Why did she feel so nervous? Because the woman had the misconception that she and her partner were more than just work partners. The thought made her feel a little uncomfortable.

_'Get a hold of yourself, Alex,'_ she told herself in her head. _'It's going to be okay. You're doing a favor for Bobby. Just meet the woman and hopefully make a good impression and perhaps leave her with some peace of mind that someone would be there for her son after she dies.'_

That part was definitely true. Alex would be there no matter what Bobby might do to push her away. However, he was definitely not pushing her away now. He hadn't been pushing her away for a while and in fact had been letting her in more than he used to. That blow up they had during Thanksgiving seemed to have scared them both into being more open and considerate with each other. It was scary and comforting at the same time and perhaps that's why she felt so nervous. There seemed to be sense that things were starting to change between them, not in a bad way but certainly in a way neither of them had expected when they had been partnered six, almost seven years ago.

The knock at her door startled her out of her reverie and she grabbed her purse off the dresser and headed out.

Bobby smiled at her as he looked over her conservative attire and her hair swept up and pinned in place. "Wow..." was all he was able to get out.

Alex blushed, "It's just that my mother always gets on me about how my hair is always in my face and I was afraid your mother might have similar thoughts..." she blurted out, feeling rather awkward all of a sudden.Why was she so nervous and why did she feel she had to explain herself?

Bobby chuckled, "I'm sure my mother will appreciate it. I know I do." He smiled as he gazed at her, wishing she would wear her hair up like that more often. She was far too beautiful to be hiding behind those strands of hair that never stayed behind her ear despite her best efforts. _'Oh no, stay away from thoughts like that...' _he thought. _She's just your partner, she's not really your girlfriend. _

"Come on, I'll drive," Alex stated quite firmly as she stepped out of her house and locked the door. "Just tell me how to get there." She had managed to regain her composure and hoped she didn't look as nervous as she felt.

Bobby merely nodded, knowing arguing with her would be futile and considering the favor she was doing for him, he would let her do anything she wanted on this trip. "We'll take my car," he added. As he followed behind her he allowed himself the luxury of watching her and for a just a few seconds he could admire her without the fear of her catching him. How had this happened? He had always thought she was an incredible woman. She was beautiful, smart, funny and a true friend. Tough as she was she was also a very loving and caring woman. When had his admiration and friendly affection for her turned into this infatuation? He found himself gazing at her more and more, admiring her strength, grace, intelligence and beauty. He sighed, thinking along those lines was going to get him into so much trouble...

"Everything okay?" Alex asked as Bobby realized she had turned to look at him and he was staring at her.

"Ah, yeah, just...ah...just daydreaming," he stammered, feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught staring at her like that.

He was blushing, Alex noticed. She wondered why and wrote it off to his nervousness at her meeting his mother for the first time.

They got into his car and he handed her the keys after she adjusted the seat to accommodate her shorter stature. The drive to Carmel Ridge was mostly spent in comfortable silence interspersed with some idle chit chat that had nothing to do with work. Alex found herself driving a little slower than normal and wishing they could just keep driving if only to preserve the feeling of normalcy.

Bobby found himself wishing there would be a traffic tie up so they could just sit there together for a little longer together like two people who weren't currently dealing with a serial killer on death row and his terminally ill mother. He was feeling a little guilty about dragging Eames into his personal life but he was also selfishly glad she didn't seem to mind. He knew it was probably his desire to have her in his personal life that made it seem like she was almost eager to join him in this trip to Carmel Ridge. Then again, she did bring it up again on their way back from seeing Brady. If she didn't want to do this she could have just not said anything. No, he couldn't let his mind go there. Not now. The last thing he needed was to frighten her off at a time when he needed her the most.

Unfortunately, Alex couldn't drive slow enough and there were no traffic tie ups anywhere on their way so they arrived at Carmel Ridge and made their way up to his mother's room.

"So, am I your girlfriend now?" Alex asked as they stepped into the elevator. She hadn't intended to say it out loud but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Bobby's mind went blank, "Uh...what?" Did he say something that gave away his feelings for her?

"I just want to know if you want to let your mother think I'm your girlfriend or if you want to try and explain to her that we're...um, well...I'd say just friends but that's not really accurate...I mean..." Alex sighed and somehow managed to regain her composure. "Do you want to try and explain to your mother about us or do you just want to let her think I'm your girlfriend?"

"Oh...uh, well, I haven't actually...um...you know...thought about it," Bobby stammered nervously. "Let's...let's just go with the truth." _Great going Goren, and what exactly is the truth? She's not really your girlfriend but you'd like her to be? _

_The truth? What is that exactly, Bobby? That I'm not really your girlfriend but wish I were?_ Alex thought as she nodded at her partner and gave him a reassuring smile despite her nervousness and uncertainty.

The elevator stopped and they stepped out, slowly making their way down the hall to Frances Goren's room. They stopped outside her door and glanced nervously at each other. They both smiled at the realization that they were both more nervous about going to see an elderly

woman dying of cancer than they were about going to see a serial killer on death row.

Bobby opened the door and led the way in. Alex took a deep breath and followed him, hoping the visit would go well. She was really beginning to feel like she was a teenager again, meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time.

Frances Goren was sitting on the sofa in her room, reading a book. She looked up and gave Bobby a warm smile, "There's my boy!" she exclaimed as she put her book aside and reached up to give him a hug. At this time she spotted Alex, hovering uncertainly by the door.

"I see you brought your girlfriend," she said as she removed her glasses and motioned for Alex to come forward. She removed her glasses and patted the seat next to her on the couch. "Come here and sit."

Alex smiled nervously as Bobby introduced her, "Mom, this is Alex Eames, my...my partner."

"Well, you're certainly very pretty," Frances declared as she took Alex's hand and looked her over. "You're Bobby's work partner, too?"

Alex glanced at Bobby and nodded, "Yes, I am."

Bobby started to fidget nervously as he worried what his mother might say. _Please don't let her say anything that will irritate Eames._

Frances raised an eyebrow at Bobby, "No wonder you like to spend so much time at work. You never told me your partner was a woman. No wonder you like to spend so much time at work."

Bobby and Alex exchanged nervous glances.

"Bobby is very dedicated to his job, Mrs. Goren. It's just with Major Case..." Alex began.

"Yes, yes, I know. All the big important cases land on your desks. He's always been devoted to work. He's made that very clear on many occasions," Frances looked pointedly at Bobby. "But it seems in the past year or so he's been...absent quite a bit more. Now I think I know why."

Once again Bobby and Alex exchanged glances as Frances took Alex's hands in hers and smiled at her, "Well, let's not dwell on that now. I want to know more about you. Apparently Bobby wants to keep you all to himself. Even his brother was surprised to learn you've been with him for six years."

"Ah...well, we've been partners for six years but..." Alex began, again glancing over at Bobby to see how he was reacting.

"But you haven't been sleeping together until last summer, right?" Frances queried, making both Bobby and Alex suddenly very uncomfortable.

It was shortly after her kidnapping by Jo Gage that she and Bobby began spending more time together off the job. Until then they pretty much went their own way after work. There was the occasional dinner or drink after work but both while they both enjoyed each other's company, they also both felt a need to keep their work and personal lives separate. But after the kidnapping, they seemed to have developed a mutual need to spend more time in each other's company and both had started wanting to spend most of their off duty time together unless she had a family visit or he had to see his mother.

However, sleeping together was not one of the things they had been doing. Sleeping over in her guest room or on his couch perhaps but not in the way Frances Goren was implying. Not that the idea had not occurred to them. It was just some sort of unspoken agreement that kept them from crossing that line.

Alex sat there with her mouth open but found herself unable to speak. Bobby realized he had to try and rescue her so he laughed nervously, "Mom, that's really not what..."

"Bobby, I know how you are when you're in love. You get totally focused on whoever it is you're in love with and everything else gets put aside," Frances stated matter-of-factly. "You spend all your spare time with them and if you're not with them you're thinking about them and you just tend to obssess over them and I always find out after the fact. I knew you had a partner but you never told me your partner was a she and you never told me she was so pretty." She looked directly at Alex, "He doesn't like to tell me about girls he likes because he's afraid I'm going to interrogate him about them."

Managing a rather nervous laugh, Alex finally found her voice, "So you're interrogating me directly instead?" She hoped her voice sounded light and jovial, even though she felt anything but.

Frances laughed, "I suppose you could call it that. I prefer to call it getting to know you."

Alex smiled but Bobby felt like this was really heading in a potentially disasterous direction. He was trying desperately to think of a distraction.

Almost as if she had read his mind, Frances looked up at him, "Bobby, will you go and get me some iced tea? I'm thirsty." She turned once again to Alex, "How about you, dear? Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks, I'm fine," Alex replied, looking up at Bobby and trying to give him a reassuring smile.

"I'll call a nurse..." Bobby began, trying to somehow keep control of the situation.

"No, you go get it," Frances insisted. "I won't tell her anything embarassing about you until you get back. I promise."

Alex chuckled as Bobby's expression turned to one of sheer panic. "Mom..." he tried once again.

"It's all right Bobby, we'll be fine," Alex said firmly, despite a few misgivings about being left alone with his mother.

With a defeated sigh, Bobby nodded and headed towards the door, glancing nervously at the two women seated on the couch. Why on earth had he even mentioned this to Eames in the first place? Of all the stupid things he had done in his life, this had to rank right up there at the top.

As soon as Bobby disappeared out the door, Frances sighed and looked Alex over once more. "You're certainly not shy," she declared. "That's a good thing. You've managed to overcome your nervousness much better than Bobby has."

Alex smiled, "You're not _my_ mother with potentially embarassing information to pass along."

"I have a feeling you know more about my son than I do now," Frances replied. "But I don't want to talk about Bobby, I want you to talk about how you feel about him. I can tell by the way he looks at you that he completely adores you."

Taken a bit by surprise at this sudden turn of events, Alex suddenly wished Bobby hadn't left. Then again it would have been even more embarassing if they both had to hear Frances' latest declaration. Of all the stupid things she had ever done in her life, this had to rank right up there.

"Our relationship is...complicated," Alex offered, trying to be as honest as possible.

"Complicated? Because you work together?"

Alex nodded.

"Do you love my son?"

_Love...oh my she did have to ask that didn't she? _ Alex felt her heart racing. _How was she supposed to answer that? _After a moment, Alex decided to keep it honest. "Yes, I do love him." She was amazed at how confident she sounded. _But then I do love him, don't I?_

Frances smiled, "Then it shouldn't be so complicated."

_Oh but it was. It was so complicated. With Bobby, everything was complicated_. Alex had no idea what to say to that.

"Trust me, I know my son, he loves you, too."

Alex blushed crimson, "Mrs. Goren..."

"Call me Frances. I feel like we're family after all.

"Frances..."

"So tell me, after all these years of knowing my son, what finally made you fall in love with him?" Frances asked in that same matter-of-fact way that Alex originally liked but was now finding a bit annoying.

Deciding to continue with the honest answer after a few moments of contemplation, Alex found the words just tumble out of her mouth as if she had no control over them, "It's not that I just fell in love with him all of a sudden. I think I've probably loved him for a long time, probably three or four years, but just didn't realize it until recently, you know?" Having said it out loud, Alex felt a combination of relief and anxiety all at the same time. _I have lost my mind..._

Frances merely nodded, "I'm sure if I were to ask Bobby he'd say the same thing."

_Ask Bobby?!?!? Oh dear God what had she started?_ Alex found herself wanting to be anywhere but here at this moment."

"You know, asking Bobby might not be..." Alex began.

"Ask Bobby what?" Bobby asked as he returned with the iced tea for his mother. He smiled as he placed the cup on the table and took a seat on the couch on the other side of Alex, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her close. "You two haven't been exchanging notes about me have you?" he joked quite easily.

_What the hell is he doing? _ Alex's mind screamed. For a man who had left here looking panic stricken, he was now unbelievably calm. For a few moments, Alex was sure she had lost her mind. Either that or this was one of those horribly embarassing dreams like the ones other people had of being naked in front of a group of people or something, only this was so much worse.

Bobby had returned just as his mother had asked Alex the question of what made her fall in love with him all of a sudden. He was about to burst into the room when he heard Alex's reply and it stunned him. _Was she serious? Or was she just making up something for his mother? _No, wait, they decided to go with the truth...but then that was before his mother decided to play twenty questions with Alex.

With a sigh, Bobby decided he was going to follow Alex's lead and just go with the idea that she really loved him. Even if it wasn't true, for the rest of the time they spent with his mother, he would allow himself to believe it was true. If she didn't really mean it, he could always just tell her he was just following her lead, which was mostly true.

Despite the fact that he was sitting closer to Alex than he would ever dare unless they were undercover as husband and wife, he felt quite relaxed. It felt good to be able to slip his arm around her tiny waist and hold her close to him.

"You got back here rather quickly," Frances chided Bobby as Alex tried to calm herself feeling both unnerved and elated at Bobby's arm around her waist.

"Couldn't stay away from my two favorite girls," Bobby replied.

It was at that moment that Alex knew she had to be dreaming. This just couldn't be happening. There was no way Bobby would be behaving like this in real life.

"So, what was it you were going to ask me?" he inquired, trying to sound as innocent as he possibly could.

Alex laughed nervously, "Actually I was saying we shouldn't ask you."

Bobby smiled and pulled her even closer, "Shouldn't ask me what?"

"We really should drop it," Alex said as she gave Bobby a stern look that said _You don't want to go there._

"Don't be ridiculous," Frances argued, "How long have you been in love with Alex? Apparently she's been in..."

"You know, I really don't want to embarass Bobby," Alex interrupted, hoping to stop the direction of the conversation. It was rude but she really didn't know if she would ever be able to face Bobby again if his mother went and told him what she had admitted to in a moment of sheer insanity on her part.

"How can it embarrass him to talk about how long he's been in love with you?" Frances asked, "I'm sure you two must have had this discussion at some point. I just want to know."

Before Alex could say anything else to stop him, Bobby just decided to go with honesty, "Towards the end of the second year that we were partners. I just didn't realize it left me for a little while."

Alex was sure she was about to pass out. _What the hell is he saying? He's loved me for about as long as I have been in love with him? I have to be hallucinating..._ after a few moments of her mind just completely shutting down on her, she realized Bobby and his mother were still conversing and she had no idea what they were talking about.

"...better late than never I suppose," Frances was saying. "But you do know that if you two talked more about how you felt you might not have had to wait so long to be happy together." She smiled and patted Alex's hand, "But that's probably more Bobby's fault than yours. He's not very good at discussing his feelings. It's a self-defense mechanism he developed as a child that he's never outgrown."

"Mom..." Bobby began, feeling perhaps this had gone a little farther than he was feeling comfortable with. After all, just because he heard Alex say she loved him didn't mean she loved him the way he loved her. He just hoped his indulgence of letting himself hold her and be more familiar with her than a partner should, wouldn't get him clobbered once they left Carmel Ridge.

"All right, we shall move on then," Frances said as she continued to focus on Alex. "So, tell me about yourself. All I know about you from Bobby when he mentioned 'his partner'," she gave Bobby a disapproving sideways glance,"is that you're from a family of cops, you always have his back and you have a wicked sense of humor.

Finally Alex felt herself relax a little and the rest of visit went a lot more smoothly. Alex even allowed herself the luxury of enjoying being so close to Bobby. She really began to wish they could just sit here and not leave. Once they were out that door she knew he would be going right back to his respectful self and keep his professional distance.

After exchanging goodbyes and Alex promising she would try to make one more visit, they left Frances' room holding hands. As they stepped into the hall, both Bobby and Alex expected the other to break the contact but found themselves still holding hands as the headed to the elevator.

"That went pretty well," Alex said as they reached the elevators, still holding Bobby's hand.

Bobby nodded, "It was one of my better visits with her."

The elevator finally arrived and they stepped in, still holding hands. Neither of them wanted to let go so they didn't. Both of them were wondering what the other was thinking and yet they were both terrified to ask.

"Thank you...for coming to see her," Bobby said as the elevator made its descent. "She...she likes you a lot."

Alex smiled, "I like her a lot, too. I can see where you get that brilliant mind and stubborness."

Bobby laughed. He didn't do much of that as of late but whenever he did, it was because Alex managed to make him feel better. Looking at her smiling up at him he suddenly felt an uncontrollable impulse get the better of him and he leaned down to kiss her, his lips brushing lightly against hers.

Before Alex can even react, the elevator doors open and as people start moving in, Bobby and Alex walk off the elevator, still hand in hand. Bobby felt his heart start pounding in his chest and was certain Alex and everyone else in the lobby could hear it. _What was I thinking? Kissing her like that...I mean we're only pretending...she doesn't want me to...wait, we're still holding hands and she hasn't tried to run away from me..._

At this point Bobby risked glancing at his currently very silent partner to see if she might just be so shocked and angry that she was stunned into inaction. Instead, he saw her smiling and she had moved a little closer to him. _Well, this was an interesting development. They were holding hands, he had kissed her on the lips and she was definitely walking much closer to him than when they had left his mother's room._ Bobby was so afraid he was going to wake up at any moment and discover he was dreaming.

_He kissed me!!!_ Alex's mind was screaming with delight. That fact alone gave her the courage to move closer to him. Even is this was all just a dream, she was going to enjoy every second of it while she could.

"Do you want to stop and get something to eat before we head back? I know a really nice little cafe..." Bobby started but was interupted by the ringing of Alex's phone.

Alex quickly looked at the caller ID, "It's Ross," she moaned. "Eames," she answered curtly.

Bobby sighed as he watched her frown.

"All right, we're on our way, Captain," Alex finally said. She sighed as she snapped her cell phone closed. "The Captain needs us back sooner than he thought he would."

Bobby merely nodded, feeling slightly depressed. _Another reason to dislike Ross...maybe if we had just a little more time..._

Alex glanced over at Bobby and squeezed his hand, which she still happened to be holding, "I guess we'll just have to visit that cafe next time."

_Next time?_ Bobby blinked in surprise, "Uh...next time?" was all he managed to get out.

"I did promise I would try and fit in one more visit with your mom...unless you don't want me..."

"NO! I mean...yes, I...I'd like you to...to visit her again. I just...I didn't think...I mean this isn't something you have to do, Eames."

Alex suddenly stopped in her tracks, pulled Bobby back and stepped in front of him. "I'm not doing it because I feel obligated, Bobby. This turned out to be one of the most enjoyable days I've had since...in a long time." She let go of Bobby's hand and put both her hands on his chest and stared at them to avoid looking him in the eye, "It means a lot to me that you trust me enough to meet your mother. I know this probably isn't the best time to say this but..." Alex looked up and met Bobby's very intense gaze and felt her knees go weak. _Great, how old are you? You're not a teenager and he's your partner and..._her thoughts were interupted by yet another kiss from Bobby, only this one wasn't as chaste as the one in the elevator. His arms had moved around her waist and he held her close. Alex felt her arms automatically reaching up around his neck as she returned his kiss just as passionately.

As they finally stopped for lack of oxygen they smiled at each other, feeling a lot more relaxed than they had in a long time. Alex rested her head against Bobby's chest.

"If I'd have known this would happen I would have brought you to visit my mother years ago," Bobby said as he gently kissed the top of her head.

Alex smiled, "If I'd have known then I would have insisted on visiting your mother years ago."

"So what do we do now?" Bobby asked as Alex looked up at him again and he felt incredibly reluctant to let her go.

"We go to work and after work, we'll go home..."

"Who's home?"

Alex chuckled, "Doesn't matter, as long as we end up in the same place."

"Good, I was hoping..."

"Come on, Goren, let's go before Ross has to call us again."

"Oh, so it's Goren now?"

"It is until you call me Alex. So help me...if you call me Eames after you kissed me like that..."

Bobby smiled and kissed her again, "Come on, _Alex_, we do need to go."

They both laughed and continued on to the car, hand in hand. Conversation flowed more easily between them now and with the promise of better things to come, the forgot for a few moments the race against the clock they were facing with the execution of Brady looming and all those victims they still needed to find and the impending death of Bobby's mother. They both knew things weren't going to always be this carefree and there were darker days ahead but the also knew they would be facing them together.


End file.
